Kaffeine

Stepping off Oxford Street into Fitzrovia is like stepping off a packed tube train in rush hour – you immediately feel relieved. Far less busy, with virtually no lingering tourists, Fitzrovia is fast turning into a foodies paradise. It is also home to one of my favourite London cafes, Kaffeine.

Yet another Australian / New Zealand owned London café, Kaffeine means business when it comes to the coffee and food that they serve. Freshly baked cakes, pastries, homemade granola, muffins for breakfast and a range of salads and sandwiches for lunch provide an excellent choice and the coffee is lovingly prepared and sourced from Square Mile. They use top quality equipment to get the best out of the beans – a Synesso Cyncra espresso machine and (for the more geeky coffee lovers out there) a Robus E 110v doserless grinder. They even pay attention to the size of the coffee cups in order to get the best possible taste out of the coffee. Each cup comes with a double shot as standard (that would explain my energy rush after two flat whites) and they only use organic milk.

The interior is simple, yet calming. Wooden slatted tables and benches, good music and a large amount of staff to cope with busy periods. I went for breakfast with my dad earlier in the week and we both shared a ciabatta roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa (£4.50) and a croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatos (£3.50) – both were toasted and perfect for a cold morning. The croissant was rich, buttery and cheesy (naughty).

We had a couple of flat whites (£2.40 each) and skipped off into the day, full and totally satisfied.